‘Fireborn’ exhibit at Penticton Museum, to Jan

What does a 6000 year-old copper frog and the SS Sicamous have in common?
 
They were both made by the metallurgical wonders of a Foundry! Come explore the Penticton Museum’s latest exhibit, Fireborn: How Foundries Shaped the Modern World, and discover how the industrial world was shaped by processes developed over 8000 years ago. Fireborn, which opens on Friday, October 26th (from 4 – 7pm)  will guide visitors through the history of foundries up to the present day, including the 95 year history of the Penticton Foundry.
 
“The Penticton Foundry is excited to be part of this informative exhibit, which highlights the impact the industry has had on our everyday lives, and throughout history” said Jeff Luesink of the Penticton Foundry. “We hope people will take the time to visit the museum in order to have a better understanding of the important role the foundry has played in the history of our community.”
 
The Penticton Museum has created a historical journey of metallurgy that touches on the impact that working metals has had on global culture and economy that begins at the Copper Age and ends with the Penticton’s own story, where this industry is alive and well. In 1920, when L.L. Wilkins settled in Penticton and opened the LL Wilkins Machine Shop, he likely had no idea that he would be contributing to the history and economy of metal-working in Penticton nearly 95 years later. His small shop, first located on Main street and then on Westminster produced aluminum, iron, and bronze metal objects. In the early years of WWII after his son had taken on the family business, they helped contribute to the Canadian War time efforts through producing engine parts for military support on the coast. After changing hands and name in the 1950s to become the Peach City Foundry, it relocated to its current position in 1976, changing hands and name again to what it is today: the Penticton Foundry Ltd.
 
For Peter Ord, manager/curator of the Penticton Museum, “The Fireborn exhibit offers such a great journey into the past. The museum team and the Penticton Foundry did such a great job of putting together an exhibit that explores the understated impact of such an interesting industry.”   
 
Fireborn: How Foundries Shaped the Modern World is sponsored by the Penticton Foundry, the City of Penticton and the BC Arts Council. The exhibit opens on September 26th (from 4 – 7pm) and will run until January 2015.
 
For more information, visit www.pentictonmuseum.com.  Please do not hesitate to contact the Penticton Museum at (250) 490-2454 or email peter.ord@penticton.ca